School of Graduate Studies
Queen's University-
Students
- Tips for Undergraduates
- Thinking of Applying
- Tuition, Fees and Cost of Living
- Funding and Financial Assistance
- Agreements & Exchanges
- Application Process
- Welcome New Students
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- Award Holders' Information
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- Graduate Supervision
- Students with Disabilities
- Time To Completion
- Degree Completion (Thesis)
- Convocation
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- International Students
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- Before You Arrive
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- The Queen's Experience
Thinking of Applying to Queen's
2012/13 Applications Requirements Table (38 KB)
2013/14 Applications Requirements Table (37KB)
Step 1: Apply early for any government awards
Seek funding from Canada's three major research granting agencies a full year before you plan to attend graduate school. Each agency offers several awards and most Queen's departments top up these major awards with additional funding. Queen's automatically issues a $5,000 top-up award to incoming federal government Tri-Council Award winners.
Application procedures vary for each agency. Students sometimes apply directly to the agency and in other cases, universities are given a quota to rank candidates and forward to the agency. Check the agency websites for instructions: NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR.
Step 2: Explore the degrees available at Queen's
Find a degree program that matches with your interests - there is over 100 programs to chose from.
Step 3: Check the minimums
Most candidates for admission to a doctoral program possess a Master's Degree. Direct entry to some programs is possible for those with exceptional academic standing.
For a master's program, candidates for admission hold second-class standing in one of the following degrees awarded by a recognized university:
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- an Honours Bachelor Degree in Arts or Science
- a Bachelor Degree in Applied Science or Law
- a Degree of Doctor of Medicine
- or equivalent
To check the minimums either go to the individual program pages or the 2013/14 Application Requirements Table (PDF*, 37 KB)
Please note that if you are considering the master's program in Education, refer to the program website for the admission qualifications.
The School of Business administers their MBA program of study and the School of Medicine administers all postgraduate training programs, which are offered by medical departments to Doctors of Medicine.
Step 4: Find out if you need a supervisor
Some graduate programs, particularly professional degrees at the master's level, do not require students to have a supervisor. Some graduate programs however, request that you contact a potential supervisor before applying.
If you are interested in a graduate program where you will need to have a supervisor, visit its website to find out if you need to choose a supervisor as part of the application process or if a supervisor is assigned by the graduate department when you start your studies.
If you need a supervisor and must choose one as part of your application, go to the program website and find out the research areas of the department's faculty. When you find a faculty member with similar research interests to yours, email he or she with a brief overview of your research and interests, along with your related background. This email contact is also an opportunity for you to find out if the faculty member is accepting new graduate students for supervision.
Queen's provides all graduate students and faculty with a Guide to Graduate Supervision that provides information about everyone's roles and responsibilities.
Step 5: Find out the tuition, student activity fees and other related costs
Step 6: Check the program website for average financial packages available to graduate students
Step 7: Now, how to apply!
Go through steps 1 through 5 of "Application Process" to ensure you have/know what you need to apply.
*PDF files can be viewed using Adobe Reader.